Greenfield, IN – An Indiana man was arrested after a frozen toddler was found wandering alone in the snow. Logan Nickolas, 20, faces charges of neglect of a dependent resulting in bodily injury and neglect of a dependent that endangers the child.
The incident took place on Monday afternoon around 3 p.m. Officers were called to Prairie Meadows Apartment Homes following reports of an unattended child in the cold.
A witness reported hearing a crying child and found the two-year-old standing in the snow wearing only a diaper. The temperature at the time was 13 degrees.
Responding officers found the child and wrapped them in a coat before placing them in a warm vehicle until EMS arrived. Footprints in the snow indicated the child had been outside for a significant amount of time.
Those footprints led to an open apartment door on Switch Grass Drive. Officers announced their presence but received no response and subsequently entered the apartment.
Inside, they found Nickolas asleep on the couch. He identified the child as his own and stated that the toddler was supposed to be in the apartment.
Further observations revealed a strong smell of burnt marijuana in the apartment. A baby gate was found at the top of the stairs, but it was unlatched.
Officers noted a handgun on a countertop near drug paraphernalia. Nickolas claimed he had not used drugs but fell asleep due to a late-night work shift.
The child’s mother later informed police that Nickolas had recently used various drugs. She was at work during the incident and had allowed Nickolas to stay at her home intermittently for the week.
When EMS personnel arrived, the child was found to be suffering from hypothermia and frostbite. The toddler was transported to a hospital for treatment and is in stable condition.
A resident of the complex expressed shock over the incident, noting the severity of the situation.